Hearing Something New

My daughters were complaining the other day about the “long readings” during Holy Week. “We know the stories”, they said. My wife and I have been encouraging them in return to listen carefully to the readings during for “something new” that they have not realised before.

I have rather taken that advice to heart myself in the last few days.

At the Maundy Thursday service at St Aloysius, I noted that the Latin word for “clean” (in the footwashing reading from St John) is the adjective “mundus”. I noted the connection between that adjective and the Latin noun for “world” or “cosmos”, which is also “mundus”. The connection seems to be in the idea of neat and beautiful appearance. But more than that, I reflected on the cultic ideas behind the category of “clean”. In the OT, a distinction was made between the “clean” and “unclean” and between the “sacred/holy” and the “secular”. According to my Seminary OT professor, Dr Kleinig, the natural state for anything God has made is “clean and secular”. Something which is “clean and secular” could be sanctified as “sacred/holy” by consecration for use in or access to worship, ie. for contact with the divine presence. Alternatively, it could be defiled and become “unclean”, which would put it at the other end of the spectrum from “sacred/holy”. My thought was just that the word “mundus” seems to combine into one the idea of both “clean” and “secular/worldly”. It is a good state for things to be in, for anything from the “mundus” which is thus made “mundus/clean” may also enter into the sanctifying presence of God. Just a thought.

Another new thing occured to me when hearing Matthew’s account of the Resurrection at the Easter Vigil. We are told that at the appearance of the angel, the soldiers “became as dead men”. I tried picturing that. Did they have heart attacks? or did they just faint? In either case, the suprising thing is that these hardened, tough, strong Roman military types were overcome by fear of the angel, while the Jewish women who had come to the tomb were not. True, they were also affected by fear (the angel tells them “Do not be afraid”) but they don’t react with fainting or heart attacks! Was Matthew having a bit of a go at the Romans at this point? And at the same time was he highlighting the strength of the faithful women? Again, a new thought.

About Schütz

I am Catholic, married to Cathy, father of Maddy & Mia. Since 2002, I have been the Executive Officer of the Ecumenical & Interfaith Commission of the Archdiocese of Melbourne. I was once a Lutheran pastor, but a "year of grace" and soul-searching led me into the Catholic Church. It was a bumpy ride, but with the support of my (still Lutheran) wife, I was finally confirmed on June 16, 2003.

One Response to Hearing Something New

Something new occurred to me also during the Easter Vigil. Fr. Walshe at Mentone celebrated the Easter masses facing liturgical east (which in the case of St. Patrick’s, Mentone, is geographic south) and as I stood during the Sanctus (Hayden’s) and saw father in his special gold easter chasuble, with the thurifer and torches kneeling on the steps, I thought that neither the Tridentine, the Anglican nor the Eastern liturgies exceed the splendor of the Ordinary Form of the Roman Rite done well. The new thought was that perhaps many of those who seek out Tridentine celebrations are simply wanting good liturgy performed with dignity and reverence and have never experienced this in the Ordinary Form. The reform of the reform would then be something of a misnomer. It is the proper implementation of the reform, with dignity, reverence and the occasional outburst of splendor, that is required.

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SCE is a blog in "the Spirit of Benny 16". It is a place to discuss Catholic Theology, Ecumenism, Interfaith relations, History, Liturgy, Philosophy and whatever topics are hot in the ecclesiastical world!

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The Schütz Model for a Elective Australian Constitutional Monarchy

I propose that
1) We replace the absentee monarch of Australia (who is also the Monarch of Great Britain) with an elected Australian monarchy.
2) The elected monarch exactly replaces the current monarch in the current constition.
3) The elected monarch has exactly the same powers, duties and responsibilities as those of the current absentee monarch. All the monarch's functions are carried out by his/her personal representatives (as is currently the case): federally by the Governor General, and in the states by the State Governors.
4) The Governor General and the Governors continue to be selected and appointed as they currently are, that is, by the premier with the approval of the monarch.
5) The monarch is elected to sovereignty over Australia for life, but his/her sovereignty is strictly non-hereditary.
6) The elective body is the "college of electors" comprised of the state governors and federal governor general.
7) The election of the monarch must be a unanimous decision on the part of the college of electors.

"The fervant Romanists have always this point in their favour: that they are ready to believe. And they have a desire for the conversion of men which is honest in exactly inverse ration to the dishonesty of the means which they employ to produce it."-- Anthony Trollope, "The Way We Live Now"

J.G. Schütz Family Arms

"The truth may be out there, but lies are inside your head."-- Terry Pratchet, Hogfather, page 242

"I really don't think I'm arrogant, but I do get impatient with people who don't share with me the same humility in front of the facts."--Richard Dawkins